stokebynightfandomcom-20200216-history
March 2003
Church, Legal, Media, Police, Politics Investigations have begun as to how members of the terrorist organisation G8 Suppress were able to mount an operation to attempt to free Steven Thomas and two other persons from custody without Castelan having any prior intelligence on the possibility of such a venture. Although the attempt ultimately failed, police outside of the city have criticised Castelan for inadequate planning of the transportation of three such high profile prisoners and the failure to speculate that such an attack may take place. In all, over thirty people were killed, including four Castelan officers, in the ensuing fire-fight when the convoy was ambushed shortly after leaving the town hall where the three were being held in tight security. All three prisoners were killed and speculation remains as to whether they were killed by Castelan or by friendly fire. No matter what, the timing couldn’t be worse for Castelan, who are coming under increasing pressure to disband operations within the city from various political and church pressure groups. Bureaucracy, Legal, Police, Politics, Transport So how did G8 Suppress learn about the plans to transport the prisoners? Castelan had understandably been keeping tight control on the details surrounding the operation, although it is inevitable that at some point they had to discuss the plans with the local transport association. Investigations are currently focussing on a possible leak in local government, although what councillors would have to gain from such a relationship remains to be seen. Some have speculated that the anti-capitalist stance favoured by the group is similar to those of Sean Bowden, and that the failure of Castelan in this type of operation would lend further credence to his group Peer 19. However, it seems more likely that this is just a form of political assassination by parties keen to see Bowden out of the forthcoming elections. Police, Street, Underworld Why did G8 Suppress mount a rescue attempt? They’d already stated that they wished to distance themselves from the actions of Steven Thomas, and then they mount a rescue attempt. Did Castelan have a hidden agenda with regards to the group, as this issue, along with the manner in which they were caught, seems to indicate that they were watching the group for a number of months before they actually arrested Thomas? Or are these just paranoid ramblings by members of a city fed up of seeing Castelan mount a number of increasingly violent operations against its inhabitants. Media, Police, Street Castelan are continuing to investigate the apparent murder of twelve individuals at The Sentinels offices last month. The victims, who all worked in the photographic labs for the paper, were apparently the victims of a botched raid on the premises. Investigations are focussing on the whereabouts of a thirteenth individual who was working in the offices at the time. Authorities are keen to interview Susan Willis who is still thought to be alive, although Castelan have asked members of the public not to approach her as she may be dangerous. Meanwhile, the victim’s bodies have still not been released to their families for burial while forensic investigations continue. High Society, Media, Police, Occult Why haven’t Castelan released the bodies of the Sentinel shooting to their families for burial? Even the most complicated of forensic investigations of a body takes no more than two working days, and given the high profile nature of the case it would be correct to assume that Castelan were fully investigating the matter. Suspicion has also been placed on the accusations placed on Susan Willis, who had previously that month been given psychometric testing ahead of her posting in the Gulf to cover the impending war. The results showed that Ms. Willis is a level headed individual not prone to any form of violence. And how can Castelan be so sure that she is still alive? Legal, Media, Police, Street, Underworld Rumours have begun to circulate that photos pointing to Castelan’s involvement in illegal operations have begun to circulate on the net. The rumours were quickly quashed by the group, who pointed out the manner in which the photos could have been faked using any number of commercially available programs. However, the question remains of why someone would fake such evidence given that GAOM have such a strong legal defence ready to pounce on any such accusations? As is usual in these matters, both Sean Bowden and Peer 19 have been blamed for the disturbance, allegations that both strenuously deny. Bowden has even gone as far to state that such information damages the real evidence that they have been collating on the group, and this may in turn prevent further attempts at legal injunctions. Bureaucracy, Finance, Industry, Legal Local steelworks were closed down after it emerged that to high a lead content was being used in its steel destined for use as structural members in the construction industry. Investigations are underway by trade unions and public watchdogs to ascertain whether this was as a result of malpractice, criminal intent or simply incorrectly labelled goods. All goods produced by the factory over the last two months are to be recalled, although this has raised further queries as to where the steel was to be supplied, as many of the entries are simply labelled “Foreign Sale”. No matter what the outcome of the investigations, the likelihood is that another part of the city’s industry is about to disappear. Finance, Industry, Politics GAOM continue to retrofit much of the structure of one of the six towers at the heart of the Phoenix Project. Only one tower was found to be showing signs of possible structural failure and as a result all persons have been relocated to surrounding towers in order to carry out the works safely. GAOM is the exclusive contractor for the works and technicians can be seen working long into the night in order to rectify the problems. Church, Finance, High Society, Media, Politics So all the candidates for the forthcoming local elections have now been announced, and unsurprisingly Sean Bowden is once again the front runner in the polls. It would appear that a large proportion of the cities population is behind the candidate and his anti-Castelan stance. Elsewhere, the news is primarily focussing on whether the elections will result in a conflict of office between council and the newly elected mayor. Bureaucracy, Finance, Industry, Politics, Transport Local industrial and financial interests have still to be affected by any threat of war in the Middle East, although some wags have joked that this because the economy can’t sink any lower. Indeed, many local companies are bracing themselves for the end of the financial year to see whether their will be the traditional upturn in business. Elsewhere, local giant King Industries have been cleared of all wrongdoing following allegations of corruption shortly before Christmas. The group saw a brief rise in share prices following the news, but these quickly settled when it became apparent that the company had garnered no new orders during the period of investigation and that profits may be down this year. Finance, Health, University Despite all the doom and gloom surrounding the local economy, one group has seen a sharp rise in profits over the last year. Associated University Pharmaceuticals, a research company run by both Keele and Staffordshire Universities, have seen profits far exceed those predicted on the back of its anti-flu immunisation programme. Stock in the company rose when it became apparent that the company had managed to develop a means of determining the spread of the disease that afflicted some 70% of the cities population at one point, and that they had developed an antidote. Research has continued into the drug, as it is hoped that it may be able to combat future disease outbreaks. Street, Underworld And so we see the end of G8 Suppress activity in the city? Not likely. Even though the splinter group had officially been ostracised from the rest of the organisation, it seems likely that some existing members will feel as if they have a score to settle with various persons, most notably Castelan, over the death of their comrades. The question is however; will they be as outwardly violent as their predecessors? The original reason for the split in the group is that Thomas’s actions were deemed to be to overtly violent for a group with political aspirations. However, one detail that emerged from the interrogation of Thomas was that they were responding to a specific rise in violence against them from an un-named shadowy organisation in the city. Whether these are just paranoid ramblings remains to be seen, but it is said that “Violence begets violence”. Media, Police, Street, Underworld The gang war between The Gambino’s and Sandernacht has further escalated over the last month following Castelan’s decision to cease its “Steel Wall” operation in the north of the city. Many of the towns and villages north of the A500 have experienced a rising tide of violence, as individuals believed to be associated with Sandernacht have fought running skirmishes with the Gambino’s in what appears to be a final attempt to drive them out of the city. Add into the fray the newly emerged (but far from amateur) “Daughters of the Desert”, along with a scattering of smaller independent groups, and it seems likely that the violence will continue to escalate. Occult, Underworld News has it that Sandernacht may have contacted a group of powerful bankers in the area in an attempt to forge legitimate links. If this is true, then it marks the first time that Sandernacht, or someone purporting to be Sandernacht, has made direct contact with an organisation. Does this mark an end to his criminal businesses in the city? This is unlikely, although it does perhaps show the depth of corruption prevalent amongst some within the city. Media, Occult, Street Is Steven Thomas alive? The former terrorist leader has allegedly been seen in a number of public buildings throughout the city over the last month, although no CCTV footage exists to back these claims up. More likely is the fact that someone bearing an uncanny resemblance may be in the city. Maybe the truth about Thomas employing decoys to disguise his actions were true. Media, Street, University Photographic evidence of “The Samurai” is said to have been gathered by members of a student newspaper on Staffordshire University Campus. The image is too fuzzy to ascertain any features, although the original negatives have been handed over to Castelan for enhancement. Meanwhile, the near mythical figure continues to cut a swathe through the city’s criminal elements and protect the people of Shelton, although some have begun to question his motives. Why would someone so obviously gifted (and gifted they must be, they’ve already been accredited with dispatching a gang of fifteen) choose to protect the cities streets?